Previous owner asking to buy back property!

TheJP

JuanBallOfWimbledon said:

Thanks again for all the replies and advice, guys. It’s reassuring seeing everyone else be as incredulous as we are! 

Just a quick update, I replied to their last email in a slightly firmer tone. I made it very clear that we have no intention of selling and see this very much as our home for life. My wife thinks that me calling it ‘our home for life’ may trigger them, as they clearly think of it as theirs still. They didn’t reply, which is unusual for them as they have previously replied almost immediately to all communication. 

I took down the sign the day after we completed. It is in with the rest of their belongings, awaiting collection by their family member this afternoon. I’ll update on whether they show this time.

As annoyed as I am, I don’t think I can bring myself to bin their time capsule. We plan to build a summerhouse fairly close to the tree they specified this summer. My idea is to bury it under there, that way we have a reason to refuse, should they ever request we excavate it. For the person who asked - It contains a few photos of (I assume) their family with descriptions on the back, a baby sized shoe with a name and year on an attached tag, a keyring, a Christmas tree decoration, a key (no idea what the key is for), a pressed flower, a small piece of brick and a few pebbles and a small tapestry/cross stitch type thing of what I assume is a family crest. Nothing outrageous. 

And @george4064, I really wish this wasn’t true; but it is. I really feel for them, the situation seems to be that they retired and decided to buy a small cottage in the country. They obviously regret it at the moment, but I’m hoping with time they’ll come to love it and will be able to move on. 

OP honestly you are leaving the door firmly open for them by burying the time capsule. The point of a time capsule is to revisit it later down the line, they could insist on children/grandchildren ceremoniously going to retrieve it in a set year.

I would pass it back to them and let them bury it in the sisters garden.

Silvertabby

TheJP said:

JuanBallOfWimbledon said:

Thanks again for all the replies and advice, guys. It’s reassuring seeing everyone else be as incredulous as we are! 

Just a quick update, I replied to their last email in a slightly firmer tone. I made it very clear that we have no intention of selling and see this very much as our home for life. My wife thinks that me calling it ‘our home for life’ may trigger them, as they clearly think of it as theirs still. They didn’t reply, which is unusual for them as they have previously replied almost immediately to all communication. 

I took down the sign the day after we completed. It is in with the rest of their belongings, awaiting collection by their family member this afternoon. I’ll update on whether they show this time.

As annoyed as I am, I don’t think I can bring myself to bin their time capsule. We plan to build a summerhouse fairly close to the tree they specified this summer. My idea is to bury it under there, that way we have a reason to refuse, should they ever request we excavate it. For the person who asked - It contains a few photos of (I assume) their family with descriptions on the back, a baby sized shoe with a name and year on an attached tag, a keyring, a Christmas tree decoration, a key (no idea what the key is for), a pressed flower, a small piece of brick and a few pebbles and a small tapestry/cross stitch type thing of what I assume is a family crest. Nothing outrageous. 

And @george4064, I really wish this wasn’t true; but it is. I really feel for them, the situation seems to be that they retired and decided to buy a small cottage in the country. They obviously regret it at the moment, but I’m hoping with time they’ll come to love it and will be able to move on. 

OP honestly you are leaving the door firmly open for them by burying the time capsule. The point of a time capsule is to revisit it later down the line, they could insist on children/grandchildren ceremoniously going to retrieve it in a set year.

I would pass it back to them and let them bury it in the sisters garden.

This.  Plus point out that as the tin is obviously unsealed, the contents will be reduced to a manky mouldy mess after just a short time of being buried in damp earth.

Norman_Castle

Bury the plaque with the time capsule, it links them to the house and is no use elsewhere. They may have bought it years ago and found it while emptying the cupboards.

Bendy_House

JuanBallOfWimbledon said:

Thanks again for all the replies and advice, guys. It’s reassuring seeing everyone else be as incredulous as we are! 

Just a quick update, I replied to their last email in a slightly firmer tone. I made it very clear that we have no intention of selling and see this very much as our home for life. My wife thinks that me calling it ‘our home for life’ may trigger them, as they clearly think of it as theirs still. They didn’t reply, which is unusual for them as they have previously replied almost immediately to all communication. 

I took down the sign the day after we completed. It is in with the rest of their belongings, awaiting collection by their family member this afternoon. I’ll update on whether they show this time.

As annoyed as I am, I don’t think I can bring myself to bin their time capsule. We plan to build a summerhouse fairly close to the tree they specified this summer. My idea is to bury it under there, that way we have a reason to refuse, should they ever request we excavate it. For the person who asked - It contains a few photos of (I assume) their family with descriptions on the back, a baby sized shoe with a name and year on an attached tag, a keyring, a Christmas tree decoration, a key (no idea what the key is for), a pressed flower, a small piece of brick and a few pebbles and a small tapestry/cross stitch type thing of what I assume is a family crest. Nothing outrageous. 

And @george4064, I really wish this wasn’t true; but it is. I really feel for them, the situation seems to be that they retired and decided to buy a small cottage in the country. They obviously regret it at the moment, but I’m hoping with time they’ll come to love it and will be able to move on. 

Well done for sorting the nameplate. And absolutely agree you shouldn't bin the 'capsule. I would, however, strongly suggest you return it to them - place it with the other goods to be collected as suggested by others. If a relative collects it all, then hopefully they won't notice. If the actual couple turns up, then be prepared...

You can wait until they say something about it, but much better if you pre-empt this by giving a perfectly reasonable justification for returning it first - anything from a white fib; "We aren't sure of our plans for our garden, yet, so wouldn't want to put it in a place where it could be dug up again by gardeners...." or, more honestly, "We really think this is so personal to you, that it should be in your own home." If they (and they will...) try to suggest that this home meant more to them, you can counter with "Well, our last house meant a lot to us, but I don't think it would be right for me to go back there and ask them to bury anything in their garden."  And, if they glaze over at this obvious logic, add "Don't you agree?"

Delivered with a kind empathetic smile - you are looking out for them as much as you.

These folk are not normal. They are self-obsessed. They have no appreciation or understanding of the needs of others - it's all about them. It is truly gobsmacking to deal with folk like this, it beggars belief. I think the best way - apart from sticking to one or two carefully chosen mantras - is to ask them rather than tell them. If they try to still claim the capsule is best in your garden, then ask more bluntly, "Are you suggesting it would be ok for me to go back to my old house and expect them to bury something that belongs to me in their garden?" And, a killer; "And for them to put my name up on their house?!" (That's the nuclear option...)

Give such folk a delusional crack to look through, and they'll keep prising it open. They will, they will. Everything about their behaviour shouts entitlement and 'victim' - it's sooo unfair; we want our house back. We want to keep coming back to visit. Just think - have you EVER heard of ANYONE leaving behind expensive goods after they've moved out (unless they had to do a runner...)? They did this as they felt perfectly entitled to do so; it's still their house in their hearts, after all. And 'we can come back when it suits us'. 'Our belongings will be looked after - these new folks don't know how lucky they are that we entrust them with our property - and house'.

Off-the-bleedin'-scale. :-)

Abbafan1972

Well done on taking the name plaque down - I would also give the relative the time capsule thing back with all the other stuff. 

bouicca21

Burying the Time Capsule is pretty certainly going to be a mistake.  It enables them, especially as the objects are so personal - it’s not like it’s a portrait of life on 2022, it’s a portrait of them and their life.  Give it back to them.

Flugelhorn

Abbafan1972 said:

Well done on taking the name plaque down - I would also give the relative the time capsule thing back with all the other stuff. 

agree - just include it in with all the other stuff - the relative probably won't know exactly what they are collecting - though be careful that the relly doesn't suddenly say "oh and there is a light fitting upstairs .... and a flower pot in the garden.... and shelf in the kitchen cupboard.."

irishesman

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6356368/relocated-and-bought-house-but-dont-like-it

Couldn’t be the other party, could it? 🤣🤣

Woolsery

irishesman said:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6356368/relocated-and-bought-house-but-dont-like-it

Couldn’t be the other party, could it? 🤣🤣

I wondered that when I saw the title, but it's obviously not.

Pity, it would have made this the perfect thread to rival even the dead dog one, though that wasn't real, so it's still pretty damn good!.

GDB2222

Slinky said:

We had a spot in our garden where we had our garden bench, and we buried our cat wrapped in a baby blanket a couple of feet down. I did warn our purchasers that that's where he was, really just to warn them, as coming across a dead cat would be pretty upsetting. Other than that, I'd fully expect them to do whatever they want to the house and garden, although I'm still in contact with my old neighbour, and had to tell him not to keep telling me about what the changes are that they've made. I prefer to remember it how I loved it, even though I know it's not like that now.

If I were digging in that spot, I’d be rather concerned when I came across a body wrapped in a baby blanket, and immensely relieved when it just turned out to be a cat.